Press Releases & News

Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2016 – Univac, an international biotech company focused on developing innovative vaccines based on activation of NK cells, announced the appointment of Stefano Malvolti, MSc, MPH to the position of Chief Executive Officer and Tyler Martin, MD as Independent Director and Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Stefano Malvolti brings almost two decades of experience in successfully establishing new organisations, projects and teams in the most complex and diverse settings in private and public health. Stefano joins Univac from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance where he was responsible for the coordination of all the agency 11 vaccine delivery programs including Ebola and Inactivated Polio Vaccine. Before GAVI he held positions in policy, strategy, forecasting, supply chain and finance at Novartis Vaccines, PATH, Novartis Pharma and Baxter Healthcare. Stefano obtained an MPH at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Master in Business Economics at Bocconi University. “I am really pleased to join Univac at this pivotal moment in its history” said Malvolti. “The transition from a virtual structure to a fully functioning company is essential to maximise the likelihood of success of this breakthrough technology. I am excited to leverage my specific experience in the vaccine industry and in building functioning enterprises and teams to ensure Univac future success”.

Tyler Martin is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Adjuvance Technologies and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Great Plains Biotechnology, with more than 20 years of drug development experience. He was previously the President and Chief Medical Officer at Dynavax Technologies Corporation and a member of its Board of Directors. Before joining Dynavax in 2009, Dr. Martin was President of Humabs LLC. Previously, Dr. Martin worked at Chiron as the Vice President, Development from 2004 until 2006 and the Director, Clinical Research from 1994 until 1997. In his 7 years at Chiron, Dr. Martin led the team responsible for the development of the novel vaccine adjuvant MF59, the first vaccine adjuvant licensed by regulatory agencies since alum, and approved as FLUAD influenza vaccine in Europe. He has also held senior development and research positions at Sangamo, Inc., Valentis, Inc. and SyStemix/GTI. Dr. Martin received a BS in Chemistry and an MD from the University of Nebraska. He completed his fellowship in paediatric infectious diseases and molecular microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Univac: was incorporated in 2013 in Belgium. The company is focused on the development of next generation vaccines that, by targeting unconventional antigens, activate NK cells allowing prevention or cure of a broad range of acute viral infections and immune-mediated or tumour diseases (e.g., allergies, immune inflammatory diseases, cancer). Univac vaccines have the potential to meet medical needs for which vaccines do not exist or treatments, where available, are very expensive.